Pens and Places

 There’s a common saying that the roots will never change, no matter how much surroundings try to change a person. Earlier I never understood this, as I always thought that we are bound to change ourselves according to the places we live. But after experiencing almost 3 decades, now I understand the value of “origin”. I feel so proud that I came from the land of Mithila, also known as Janakpurdham , an ancient cultural and religious hub located in the southern part of Nepal and the northern part of the Indian state of Bihar. I am sure, most of the people don’t even know about the various facts of Ramayana, that actually happened on this holy land. There are several facts, customs, folk songs and foods that I want to highlight today, which make me a member of true Mithila family, and I am so honored that I get to write my experiences here, taking reference from Mithila Nagri: In our families, we cherish folksongs and are sung on every festive occasions like Durga puja, Ramnavmi, Kal...

  If you have connected your dots of this title with Prime’s web series, then you are the right audience for this blog. Also, this is not a sponsored post. It’s just an open letter to all the makers-creators-actors-helpers-technicians of this great digital panorama, who unleashed all the layers of patriarchal pigeonhole. If you have not seen it till now, then don’t worry, I will not give the spoilers. But, trust me, please go watch the series and then come again here to read the entire drama happening afterwards. Yes, let’s start talking about the concept of Made in Heaven first. As per my opinion, I believe in “Karma”. Whether it is associated with good deeds or the punishing atmosphere, everything is interconnected with our destiny. And it's not necessary that if you are doing good with a person/community, you will get the same response from them only. This vibe is revolving across the universe and you will get your contribution in one or another form by anyone, literally ev...

  If there’s a time machine which can bring back the same thrill and adrenaline rush while reading the best books of my childhood, I will run first to grab the jackpot. Literally, those were the days when no Instagram existed to block your mind with unnecessary noise of digital algorithms. We were totally relying on the word-of-mouth-trend. Everything from discussing the small details of appearance of characters to fantasizing about the author, we grew up. My home has always been decorated with books like magazines for elders i.e. “Kalyan Patrika” , many ancient Sanskrit verses and old academics of English literature of my great grandfather, then magazines like “Champak”, “Wisdom”, and “Chacha Chaudhary” were always on the top of the shelves as we got to buy every new edition monthly by the newspaper guy. I would love to have the same excitement again of those times when my brother and I used to share stories from those magazines and write down the famous quotes in our l...

  If you ask me, I think almost 90% Indian - especially middle class families are the followers of classics and timeless fashion trends. Not because they truly care about the environment, but because of the economical crisis and overburdened responsibility of dependent families. But it’s totally unacceptable if I say they don’t crave for fast fashion. It’s like a status symbol, revolving around everyone’s mind to obsess about up-to-the-minute style. I am a core believer of the comfort zone. I love pajamas, and will love to die in pajamas. I love all the oldest clothes, which makes me nostalgic to the events wherever I have worn them. My family sometimes criticizes me for being constant in my choices, as they expect me to change according to the surroundings. I too love timeless fashionable clothes, and can repeat n-number of times as much as I want. But there are so many conceptions people refer to in everyday lives, that leads to so many questions of sustainability. For example -...

  There’s a famous book “Tuesday with Morrie” , written by Mitch Albom in which the character Morrie quotes “The most important thing I can say to you is, 'Teach.' You want to know what's wrong with the world? Ask yourself what's right with it. When you get the answer to that, go out and teach somebody.” This line made an outstanding mark on my beliefs, when I first read the book. Giving you a short glimpse, this is a heartwarming story of a dying professor imparting life lessons to his former student, showcasing the transformative power of mentorship and wisdom it can offer.  There are innumerable facts and real life examples where we can clearly see the importance of mentorship in any generation, whether it be the age of Chanakya’s authority or the digital era of Physics Wala, Khan Sir and many more . At every step of doubt, one looks forward to the resolution suggested by their mentor. And it’s not necessary that the guidance should be in academics only. Life is its...

  Honestly saying, before reading this book, I knew nothing about Malala except the global facts. I don’t generally say this a lot, but now, I am her fan. She is younger than me, Oh my god! What a courageous experience she holds. I believe some books are meant to be read just to revisit the realities one had faced and how they have tried to fit in their major lifetime in mere words/book. And this. This is that book. Through this book, she has shown plenty of sides of her own life, the political and army point of action in the country, the Taliban effect on and off, the patriarchal norms of Pashtuns’ traditions, the backward thinking in people’s perception and lots more. She showed the heavenly landscapes through her words. She started the prologue with a revolutionary title “The day my world changed”, that she really meant. You will be amazed how the incident of being shot made her universe upside down.  All the segregation/chapters of this book are tried to fit in the sync bu...

Freedom is a very sawn-off word for this world I think. Everyone has their own booklet of terms and conditions, when it comes to feeling free. For a farmer, freedom might be his/her desire to expand his/her land to neighboring regions. For a street dancer, freedom might be a desire to present art freely without any judgment of gossiping eyes. For a high school student, freedom might be a pathway to choose the right future without any family pressure. So, when someone is asking what freedom means to me, I also have my brief dictionary, which carries all my past experiences and visionary approaches that created a whole differently contextual definition of this seven-letter-word! I always adored my grandfather, not because he loved me more than all my siblings(don’t tell them!!), but for his lessons of freedom. He taught me how to be free and independent for taking my own decisions. And his formulation was not textual. Not at all. He just pretended to be a part of the lesson. Back then, I...